How to make a fabric face mask you can stamp on!

Now that things are slowly moving towards a 'new normal' I am gearing up to have crafting classes in my home again. To protect my students as well as myself, I decided we should all wear face masks while crafting in close proximity.

I looked online to learn how to make homemade face masks and once I found a design I liked, which I could easily make with materials I have here at home, I got started on sewing the masks. However, being a creative person I had to decorate them as well!

I started with a 5" x 9" (12.5 cm x 22.5 cm) rectangle piece of material which was not porous and had a flat surface so I could stamp on it. I marked 2" (5 cm) in from each corner and connected the marks with a diagonal line which I then cut off as shown in my video.

I folded down each long side 1.5" (3.8 cm) and ironed it in place, making a crease. I then folded over each short end twice to make a sleeve for the ribbon and sewed it in place. Next I folded back the long sides and placed a few small stitches on an angle to make a pleat which created a 3-D effect. You could even colour the image in with permanent pen like Stampin' Blends to make it prettier.

To finish up I pulled the ribbon through each sleeve, leaving a loop on the bottom of the face mask. After placing a bead on the ends of the ribbon I was able to secure them with a double knot. To wear the face mask, place the loop over your head and around the back of your neck. Tie the ribbon into a bow on the top of your head to hold the mask in place.

I hope you are able to follow my instructions and will make your own face mask to stay safe and healthy. Don't forget to decorate it with your favourite rubber stamp!

#KeepCalmAndCraft #ComputerAndCraftDesigns #StampinUp #creativetherapy #StayHome #Punches #Covid19 #FaceMask 

Power of Hope Vellum Lantern

I love the look of paper lanterns and when I saw the Power Of Hope stamp set, available for free during Sale-A-Bration, I immediately thought of making one. I looked at some paper lanterns I had left over from attending the Auckland Lantern Festival in previous years and attempted to copy them in miniature.

I used a piece of petal pink vellum 5" x 4" (12.7 cm x 10 cm) for the little lantern and stamped the images in Memento back ink all around it between two 1/2" (1.25cm) score lines.

After the ink dried I cut 1/4" (0.5 cm) slices between the top and bottom score lines to create the curved lantern effect. I then glued the lantern sides together, overlapping one of the 1/4" (0.5 cm) slices.

I used a couple strips of petal pink cardstock 1/2" x 5" (1.25 cm x 12.7 cm)  to give it stability on the top and the bottom.

I hung a petal pink Best Dressed Tassel using gold thread at the bottom of the lantern. This also created a way to hold the battery-operated tealight. I also used a 1/4" x 6" (0.5 cm x 15.24 cm) piece of petal pink cardstock to create a handle at the top. 

Using three flowers from the Seasonal Layers Dies, I die cut the petal pink cardstock and vellum to decorate the little lantern, thus hiding my joins on the top and bottom strips.

I love the way this lantern came out and it was so easy to make. If you'd like to make one yourself, have a look at my video for instructions.

If you make a lantern I'd love to see it. Please post your pictures in the comments or on my Facebook page.

#Vellum #Lantern #Tealight #PowerOfHope #KeepCalmAndCraft #ComputerAndCraftDesigns #StampinUp #creativetherapy #StayHome #SaleABration

Mailbag Makes -- Craft Anywhere You Want!

I love teaching others how to make things with papercrafts. I have weekly classes in my home and participate in annual events with my upline, called Crafternoon. I have even started making videos to show people all over the world how to make things with Stampin' Up! products.

However I know that some people just can't make it to a class because the timing isn't right or they live too far away. Maybe, like me, they love to watch videos but unless they have the materials at hand they never make the projects they watch. My Pinterest is full of projects I'd love to make, but sometimes it takes too long to prepare the materials. I have the same problem when it comes to cooking -- the prep work takes too long and what I really enjoy is the eating!

So I have come up with a solution to those problems -- papercraft projects already prepared and ready to make mailed out to people which I am calling Mailbag Makes! I will do all the prep work and I will mail you all the pieces needed to make the project. You will get a link to a video of me showing you exactly how to create the featured papercraft. That way you can make the item(s) anytime and anywhere you like as you'll have everything you need ready and waiting for you, except for the stamps and ink.

Each month I will create a different project, ranging from cards to scrapbooks, home decorations, gifts, bags and boxes. The Mailbag Make will include all the cardstock, paper and embellishments you need to make the project. The price of the Mailbag Make will vary each month depending on how many supplies are need and it will not include the featured stamp set or inks, however you can purchase them for an extra fee or just use what you have at hand.

I am starting this offer with an antique-looking Memory Book. You can use this as a scrapbook by attaching your favourite photos to the pages or you could also use it as a diary because it includes 12 printed calendar months. Have a look at my preview video below to see the inside of the book and for more information on what's included.

Just contact me to order your Mailbag Make if you live in New Zealand, unfortunately I am unable to send products outside of my country. Next month I will have another project for sale as a Mailbag Make so check back then or join my email list so you can be notified as soon as the next one is available.

#KeepCalmAndCraft #ComputerAndCraftDesigns #StampinUp #creativetherapy #StayHome #MailbagMake #Scrapbook #DesignerSeriesPaper #MiniBooklet #MemoryBook #CraftHappy #PhotoAlbum

Crafting is a natural anti-depressant

Sometimes life throws you a curve ball, like it did to me last week when my mother died suddenly. I live in New Zealand and all of my family (except for my two daughters) live in the United States. So I feel a bit helpless as I am not able to go to the USA to be with my siblings during this sad time.

When I first heard the news, besides crying, I felt like doing nothing. I just sat around the house for a few days with my memories and thinking about everything that will never be said or done with my mother again. I could feel depression coming on as I didn't want to talk to anyone or eat anything.

It is times like these when I try to keep myself busy. When I experienced other life-changing events several years ago I threw myself into DIY (do-it-yourself) projects to keep me from wallowing in my sadness. That is how I got 80% of my house renovated. I still have the kitchen to finish, but I hit a wall -- a wall is literally standing in the way of completing it!

Now that I am a Stampin' Up! demonstrator I turn to my paper crafts to keep me busy. It's much less messy and quicker to achieve results than renovations. However I did spend a couple days during the past week finishing a deck I made out of some wooden pallets.

To stave off depression, I've made lots of cards over the past week and I find my mood has changed to a more positive one. I am still sad but I think more about all the wonderful memories I have of my mother and I no longer dwell on the things I cannot change. I enjoyed making these Valentines for the shops I sell my cards at in my small town, even though I didn't celebrate Valentine's Day myself.

I then turned my attention to making samples for an upcoming class. I didn't design these cards myself, but I enjoyed putting them together and thinking about all the fun my customers will have making these at the Painted Poppies class.

Being creative and doing physical activities has been shown to boost your mood by releasing dopamine. There is lots of research shown online to back this up and I truly believe it. I have a more positive mood when I throw myself into a project, especially when I have no control over what is making me depressed. Being with others is helpful as well, but sometimes you just feel too sad to be around people.

That is when keeping active with crafts is my saviour. It doesn't change what has happened but it gives me a purpose and makes me feel better. Often times I lose myself in the task at hand whether it be building a deck, renovating my house, stitching or creating cards and other papercrafts. Besides being a natural anti-depressant, crafting helps me relax and gives me a feeling of accomplishment.

So if you are going through a challenging time I suggest you find something to keep you busy such as making cards or other papercrafts and I would be happy to help you with that!

#KeepCalmAndCraft #ComputerAndCraftDesigns #StampinUp #creativetherapy #StayHome #Anti-depressant #Dopamine

Stamping Outside the Paper!

I know the title of my blog is Papercraft Addiction, but sometimes I need to do crafting without paper. Crazy thought, I know! However I did used ink and stamps, so it's still a hand-craft.

I watched a video online and then attended my upline's technique class to learn how to stamp on to a ceramic mug. The main things you need to know to do this technique are that you use StazOn ink and bake the mug at 180 degrees Celsius for at least 20 minutes to make the ink stick to the mug. You can then colour the image with Stampin' Blends and re-bake it to fix the ink to the mug. However I am not sure the image would stay on if you wash the mug in a dishwasher, but I don't have one so I can't test that theory.

At the class I attended I was able to get a good image after only a couple tries and then I was asked to help other students as I seemed to have mastered the technique. I was so impressed with how easy it seemed that I went out and bought 10 mugs so I could make some to sell at my monthly craft markets.

Well, I don't know what happened from when I learned the technique to the day I tried to stamp my own mugs because it seemed so simple before, but when I was doing it at my own home I kept having problems. Fortunately I could wipe off the ink before it dried and try, try, try, try again!

I think my first problem was that I attempted to put too many images on the mug in one go. The mug kept slipping and smearing the images. I then decided to only use a couple of stamps and eventually I got an image that I was happy with. I thought I had finally figured out the correct pressure, angle, and speed, but no! I continued to wipe off more ink than I kept on the mugs.

I would say this technique is best for patient people or stubborn ones like me, as I was determined to get all 10 mugs stamped! My frustrations were increasing as I couldn't understand why it had been so easy the first time I did it only the week before.

I learned a lot from my mistakes though, like the images don't go on straight because the mug is curved. That is why most of my sentiments are at quirky angles, but I think it looks like it was meant to be that way. At least that's my story and I'm sticking with it!

Finally with multiple adjustments in stamp placement . . . trying it while standing . . . trying it while sitting . . . rolling the mug from the left . . . from the right . . . and even backwards . . . I was finally able to get all 10 mugs stamped and baked.

The next step was to colour them. Although after having so much trouble stamping the images I was afraid of messing them up, but I persevered. I used the Stampin' Blends to colour each mug. I started with the easy one -- the panda holding a balloon. Then I coloured the daffodils and discovered that even though the mugs had been 'heat set' in the oven the Blends would smear the black ink if I rubbed too hard or too long in one spot.

After a bit of a learning curve, I finally got the hang of how to colour each mug without ruining the image. I even found out that the Color Lifter works like an eraser to remove the ink, even the black ink which had already been baked on. It was really handy in fixing some of the smeared images. And if I didn't like the colour/shade I used I could go over it with a different colour and the previous ink would come off.

So here are the final, coloured mugs which I hope to sell at my markets. I am a bit worried that the images will come off when the mugs are washed so I think I will add a note to them saying they should be gently hand-washed.

Since I didn't use paper maybe I should change the name of my blog to Stamping Addiction or Try Try Again Crafting or Trying Crafter or just Stubborn Crafter Who Won't Give Up! What do you think?

#ComputerAndCraftDesigns #StampinUp #creativetherapy #PaperCraftIdeas #HandmadeGifts

Lots of inspiration through swapping

One of my favourite things to do when I attend an OnStage event is to swap 3-D papercrafts and cards with fellow demonstrators. Not everyone attending the event participates in swapping, but I find this is a great way to see what other people create as well as get a collection of projects to inspire me. Sometimes I am so impressed with a swap I receive which uses products I don't own that I end up buying them. As if I need an excuse to get more craft supplies! 😁

In an earlier post I showed the swaps I had made for OnStage Live in Auckland. I also made some gifts to give to new friends and ended up using some of those as swaps as well. I was pleasantly surprised at how many people were swapping and I quickly ran out of the 100 I had brought.

I love seeing how talented Stampin' Up! demonstrators are and want to share everyone's creations with you, so here are pictures of the more than 100 swaps I was given at OnStage April 2019. Most of these are simply card fronts however a few are complete cards and treat holders.

The inside of some of my swaps.

I can hardly wait to make swaps for the next OnStage event in November, but for now I'll just have keep looking at all of these beauties . . . and maybe even CASE a few of them!

#ComputerAndCraftDesigns #StampinUp #creativetherapy #PaperCraftIdeas #HandmadeCard #Swaps #OnStage #AucklandOnStage #MiniCard

OnStage Live in Auckland!

Last week I attended Stampin' Up!'s OnStage Live event at the Sky City Convention Centre in Auckland. This was the first 'live' OnStage that I was able to attend since becoming an independent demonstrator two years ago. I have been to four one-day OnStage events in Auckland previously which were wonderful, however this three-day live event was beyond fabulous! I had so much fun seeing all the products, making new friends, watching the various presentations, playing with new stamp sets, and receiving lots of swaps and gifts.

I even got to meet Sara Douglass (CEO) and her mother Shelli Gardner (co-founder) who were so funny and inspiring with their talks and stamping presentations. They worked really well together and showed that everyone makes mistakes when stamping, which just proves that our crafts are hand made!

I felt so motivated from the moment I arrived at the event. I got to share the experience with my one of my downline, Caz, and lots of ladies from my upline since we all stayed in rooms in an apartment near Sky City. It was also exciting to meet so many like-minded people who had traveled far and wide to come together and share their passion. I had lots of fun at registration swapping and chatting with demonstrators (about 600) from all over New Zealand and other countries.

I will be creating another blog post soon showing the hundreds of beautiful swaps I received, once I have a chance to sift through them all. As soon as I got home from Auckland I had to get back into the 'working world' so I haven't had time to look at all of my swaps.


I can't wait for the new catalogue to begin on June 4th, however there are a few other goodies being released sooner to whet the appetite. There is going to be a special Paper Pumpkin kit which Shelli Gardner helped create and is called Hugs from Shelli. It will only be available while stocks last and goes on sale on May 15th. This kit is perfect for beginning crafters as you get everything you need (except a clear block) to create 12 cards in four different designs. Have a look at this video for a sneak peak and contact me if you'd like to get you hands on one!

There is also a special product medley kit which will only be offered in the month of May while stocks last. It is called Everything Is Rosy and you can see the items included in the kit in this video. This is a non-traditional kit because it includes lots of products which you can use to create a medley of different items however there are no specific instructions. This is great for casual or avid crafters because there aren't instructions so you can create whatever you want and are only limited by your imagination or by Pinterest and YouTube! 😉

There were lots of other great presentations and emotional talks over the three days. They were all very inspiring and have given me a lot of great ideas for my business. I was even chosen to go on the stage to play a game with fellow demonstrators. We were each given a sign to use as our 'buzzer' when answering questions. My sign said 'Booya!' which I shouted out many times as I am very competitive. I managed to win a stamp set for my team of three participants by answering the most questions' however my enthusiasm was noticed by all and from that pointed on I had the nickname of Booya. At least I won't be easily forgotten! 😆

I am now a bit sad that OnStage is over but I was having way too much fun and needed to get back to reality, although I was able to bring some of the fun home in the form of free gifts and prizes! I have so many new things to play with that I think I will be able survive until the new catalogue is released in June. I now feel even more motivated to Share What I Love! 💖

#ComputerAndCraftDesigns #StampinUp #creativetherapy #PaperCraftIdeas #HandmadeCard #Swaps #OnStage #AucklandOnStage 

Creative Space

When making papercrafts you need a place to do your creating. Some people are lucky enough to have a large house with a dedicated room or maybe even a converted garage or sleepout which has been made into a craft room. However I suspect many people are probably like me and have to find space to create where ever they can.

When my children were still living at home, I used to keep everything in boxes in a closet and get things out only when I was making a project. I would take over the dining table during the day but I would have to clean everything up each evening in time for dinner. However sometimes I wasn't finished creating, so I would leave everything on the table and my family would have to eat on their laps siting on the couch or in their bedrooms. I guess I wasn't going to get the Mother-of-the-Year award!

The bad thing about crafting out of a closet is that I didn't always know where things were. Sometimes I knew I had a specific item I needed but I couldn't find it so I would just buy another one. That is how I ended up with so many 'googly' eyes -- every Christmas when I went to make candy cane reindeer I couldn't find the eyes! And now I have lots of other things I forgot I had bought.

When I became an independent Stampin' Up! demonstrator I wanted to have everything easily accessible. So I created some space using an old computer desk in the hallway. I was able to store all my stamps on the top shelves of the desk and my other bits and bobs on the lower shelves where the computer and printer used to sit. Having the pull-out keyboard drawer was handy for storing my Stampin' Trimmer.

This setup worked well for a little while as I was able to find things readily, and except for having to use the dining table for my Big Shot, I made things quickly and easily. It was nice to sit in one spot and reach everything I needed. I did have less space to spread out than what I had with the dining table, though sometimes I would use that space as well.

The only problem with that setup was I am a night owl and I do most of my creative work from 8 pm until after midnight. However my desk was right outside my daughter's bedroom and she would often yell at me to turn the hallway light off and stop making noise as she was trying to get some sleep. So here's a tip . . . do not setup your creative space in an area which will impact others!

So I then moved into a room which was vacated by my other daughter when she moved out. You would think I'd have plenty of space to be creative, but no! Half of the room was full of furniture and belongings she had left behind, including a drum set. I piled all of her belongings on one side of the room and made a little pathway through the middle of the room so I could access a large table to make cards and other projects. This worked for a little while until I acquired too many stamping supplies, if that is even possible! 😜



I slowly got rid of some of the belongings and sold the drum set so I was finally able to access more of the room. After a year of clearing out things, and acquiring more Stampin' Up! products, I had made a decent area to call my craft space. I still have some work to do to get the room completely organised along with painting the walls and fixing the closet doors, but it is a good start. I have big plans for my craft room!

I now have all my stamp sets stacked alphabetically and my other supplies are in drawers or on shelves within easy reach of my desk chair. I bought a small trolley for my Big Shot which has drawers to store accessories and it can be wheeled out to the dining room when I hold my weekly classes. And now that Stampin' Up! is offering modular storage, I will be able to tailor my creative space to my way!

#ComputerAndCraftDesigns #StampinUp #creativetherapy #PaperCraftIdeas #HandmadeCard